


Blood is Thicker than Water

by onehaleofanadventure



Series: JayTim Week: Valentine's Edition 2017 [5]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Day 5: Love Notes, M/M, but it is weird, dark au, its not sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 14:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9824342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onehaleofanadventure/pseuds/onehaleofanadventure
Summary: Rather than trying to pull Jason back into the BatFold, Tim decides to meet him halfway, accidentally at first.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is the one that I warned ya'll about on Day 1. So, I'm not a super romantic person, and both of today's prompts were kind of lovely-dovey to me, and I didn't want to do that, so this took a really dark turn. I rated this one Teen and up because while no one important--they're completely unnamed--dies and there is talk of blood, there is nothing graphic.
> 
> And technically, this was finished on time if anyone is wondering, I just got home really late last night and didn't feel like posting before I went to bed. So anyway, enjoy, feel free to comment on anything and there be typos ahoy.

When Jason came back, to life, to Gotham, even to Bruce in a way, he wasn’t right. The Joker broke something and the pit couldn’t fix it. He came back angry, he came back afraid, and haunted, but mostly, he came back even more of uncertain of his place.  

Catherine and his dad were long since dead, his biological mother was dead, too—not that he’d want to revisit that relationship—Bruce had already moved on with his new Robin, and Nightwing and Batgirl—well Oracle now—didn’t really care about him the first time he was alive that didn’t change now.  

The first time Tim met the infamous Red Hood, Jason post-resurrection, he cried. He cried, and it had nothing to do with being beaten mostly to death. No, Tim cried for Jason, and for himself, but mostly for Jason. Tim cried for the pain Jason must have gone through dying and being gone and coming back. Tim cried for this first impression, for Jason never getting to know how much and how long Tim has been in love with him. Mostly though, Tim cried because he could see the pain and hurt Jason carried, he could see the loneliness and the abandonment he felt; and Tim knows, a least a little bit of that is his fault. Batman needed a Robin, but Jason needs someone who loves him.  

After that, Bruce does his best to protect his Robin, to keep Tim in California and far away from Jason. However, once Tim catches wind of the big showdown and the fall out that nearly cost Jason his life—because Bruce chose to save that wretched clown over his lost son—Tim is on the first flight back.  

Tim spends his every available hour searching for Jason. Digging through rumors and sightings of the Red Hood, determined to find him at all cost.  

Nearly a month later, Tim finds Jason largely unconscious in an alley, the bandages covering the wound Bruce left dyed a vibrant red. This long after the incident, he should have mostly healed unless the wounded was deeper than Bruce claimed—unlikely, but possible—proper stitching never occurred—unlikely, given Jason’s background—or, the wound has been reopened several time. 

“Get lost, kid.” 

The croaked words surprise a small flinch out of Tim. “Sorry, Hood. No can do. There’s a lost bird, he’s injured, and someone needs to get take care of him until he’s back on his feet.” 

“You’re reaching pretty far with that metaphor, replacement.” Jason huffs, and it is Jason, the Hood is nowhere in sight. “Didn’t Big Bird ever tell you, Robins are known for their puns not metaphors.” 

Tim starts to respond, but the sound of heavy footfalls on the fire escape above him stop the words from coming.  

The first time Jason kills someone for Tim, Tim blames himself. He let himself get too distracted, too caught up in the relief of Jason surviving everything and let someone get too close. Jason, of course, brushes it off as his own self preservation, but Tim knows he wouldn’t have killed the guy so quickly if Tim’s life hadn’t been on the line.  

 

 

Tim appreciated the save, he really does. The blood and bits of flesh splattered across him face and uniform, not so much. This marks the fifth time Jason has killed someone for Tim. It’s a little weird, Tim thinks, but he’s broken so many bones, hit too hard on a few too many occasions not to realize the protecting this is so very mutual.  

 

 

The first time Tim kills someone is completely on accident.  

There’s a new drug in Gotham. It’s rumored to give people super strength, really though, it’s an overdose of adrenaline and practically eliminates the connect between nerves and the pain center of the brain. So far, the drugs has ended up killing nearly six out of every seven users, mostly due to overdose, as a tolerance is easily built up with the deterioration of adrenal glands.   

Jason and Tim bad both been working the case and Tim managed to convince Jason to share intel, he’d let Jason go in guns blazing and blowing everything up, if they worked together. 

Just because the users don’t actually have super strength doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous.  

The last warehouse with a viable supply is the where things go to shit. Inside are almost two dozen men, all hyped on the poison they peddle. The first fifteen or so go down easy. But, it’s been a long and grueling night of fighting doped up, unfeeling junkies, and they’re both slowing down.  

One of Jason’s guns goes flying of the docks, smacking a man in the head and causing him to stumble. The second goes skittering across the floor—not far from Tim—after one of the thugs lands a poorly aimed but very lucky kick to Jason’s wrist.  

Tim sees it in slow motion, the rusted metal pipe shattering Jason’s helmet and dazing the man within. Tim doesn’t think, doesn’t have the time, he hits—far too hard for the bat-code of ethics—the man in front of him and grabs the gun in a roll. He aims and fires and the man standing over Jason goes down in a heap.  

The ends quickly after that. Jason thanks him—a small part of Tim’s brain, the part that will probably always respond to praise from Jason—and hold him as he calms him through the anxiety attack that grips him once his actions register.  

 

 

The next time Robin—Red Robin, Bruce took his suit when he refused to show remorse for his actions—it isn’t an accident. It was a choice: a severely injured Jason, or a dead serial killer. Turns out, it wasn’t really that much of a choice in the end.  

After that, it begins to happen more and more, but it’s okay, because Jason is always there to help him through the aftermath. Though, Tim needs it less and less these days.  

When Jason asks Tim to be his Robin, Tim doesn’t hesitate; Batman has Robin, maybe it’s time Red Hood get a Red Robin.  

 

 

They’ve become the most feared thing in Gotham. There are stories that mothers tell their children, warning them to never do evil deeds or the Reds will come to add fresh blood to their insignias. 

Batman is no longer a source of fear, no, he is a has-been with methods that never worked. The people loathed him while the cops desperately try help him stop the Reds.  

The innocents of the city sleep peacefully, knowing that any blood shed will come from the Reds. And any blood shed is in the name of love.  

Love for the people. 

Love for Gotham.  

And love notes written to their other half.  


End file.
